The death of the Great Confucian had a profound impact.
At this time, only a few dared to speak.
Among them was Li Si.
Although he was a disciple of Xun Zi, a representative figure of Confucianism, he was a prominent figure of Legalism.
Furthermore, he had already decided to pledge allegiance to the King of Qin, to Lin Tian.
At such a critical juncture, he naturally had to speak.
"My lords, your words are somewhat inappropriate!"
"The reasons given by General Lin for killing those Great Confucians were very clear."
"It was because those Great Confucians disrespected the King, that General Lin took action and killed them!!"
"In our Great Qin, the King is the most noble. Anyone who dares to disrespect the King deserves to die!"
"Therefore, I believe General Lin did nothing wrong; he did absolutely right!!"
"You… Li Si, how dare you betray your teacher and ancestors! Don't forget, your teacher was also a Great Confucian! Today, Lin Tian dared to kill our teacher, and tomorrow, Lin Tian will dare to kill your teacher!!"
Li Si's words infuriated the Confucian disciples.
Clearly, Li Si was also a disciple of Confucianism, yet he completely sided with Lin Tian.
He even said that Lin Tian had done absolutely right.
Hearing such words, these Confucian disciples couldn't help but curse.
Thus, they directly told Li Si that their teacher died today, and Li Si's teacher would die tomorrow.
However, his words caused Li Si to fly into a rage.
"Silence!! How dare you, a mere child, curse my teacher!!"
"When my teacher understood Confucianism, your teachers were still playing with mud!!"
"You juniors, what qualifications do you have to comment on my teacher??"
"Not to mention, my teacher understands Confucian etiquette, is humble, and is extremely gentle even towards slaves. How could he, like your teachers, disrespect the King!!"
Although Li Si was a prominent figure of Legalism, he still had immense respect for his teacher.
At this time, many people's teachers were even more important than their fathers.
Not to mention, Xun Zi was one of the peak figures of Confucianism.
How could such an excellent person be insulted by others?
The disciples of the Great Confucians heard this and secretly regretted their words.
They had forgotten that Xun Zi held a very high status in Confucianism, far exceeding that of their own teachers.
He was truly respected by all Confucian disciples.
If one were to give Xun Zi an evaluation, it would be that he was the true Great Confucian.
And yet they said Xun Zi would die tomorrow. If this were to spread, it would inevitably lead to endless criticism from countless Confucian disciples.
Especially Xun Zi's disciples, who were spread across the land, and many had even grown to become Great Confucians. If they knew about this, they would surely tear down his house.
Therefore, this Confucian disciple repeatedly apologized.
"Yes, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to imply anything about Xun Zi. I also deeply respect Xun Zi!!"
"Please forgive me, Prime Minister!!"
"Hmph! If that's the case, go and tell my fellow disciples!"
Li Si's words instantly made this Confucian disciple fearful. He completely lost his fighting spirit and dared not speak further.
From now on, he would have to seriously consider whether he could still remain in Confucianism.
With this person retreating, the other Confucian disciples became anxious.
Seeing this person defeated, another immediately stepped forward.
"When the King invited my teacher to Xianyang Palace, he said he wanted to consult my teacher on Zhou rites!"
"I once heard that because the King and my teacher had a difference of opinion on this matter of Zhou rites, a dispute arose!"
"Such a dispute is a reasonable debate within the bounds of law and etiquette. Many of us officials also frequently have such debates!"
"Then why did Lin Tian kill our teacher just because our teacher had a dispute with the King?"
"If we go by that logic, all of us officials who have debated with the King should die!!"
At this moment, the disciples of the Great Confucians attacked Lin Tian from another angle. They wanted to use this method to make Lin Tian die in the imperial court.
Therefore, when they uttered these questioning words, they looked not at Lin Tian, but at King Ying Zheng of Qin.
They wanted to force Ying Zheng to execute Lin Tian.
And their actions were quite similar to those of the Great Confucians before.
Did not those Great Confucians before rely on their status as Great Confucians to make Ying Zheng act according to their wishes?
So, when this person looked at Ying Zheng, Ying Zheng looked back with a meaningful gaze.
Then, Ying Zheng spoke.
"Is there anyone else who believes General Lin should be executed? You can step forward together and state your case!!"
Upon hearing this, many hesitated.
Ying Zheng did not reveal his stance, which made many unsure.
However, those who had already stepped forward urged them on at this moment.
"It's come to this, why are you still hesitating?"
"Would the spirits of your teachers in heaven wish to see you so weak?"
After saying this, those who hesitated exchanged glances, and then they stepped forward as well.
They knew that at this point, they had to step forward.
Otherwise, they would surely be ridiculed by other Confucian disciples.
One after another, nearly a third of the people in the imperial court stepped forward.
This was something Ying Zheng had not anticipated.
He had originally thought that although he had not explicitly stated Lin Tian's identity, these people should have been able to guess it.
In that case, these people would have had some reservations.
Unexpectedly, not only did these people have no reservations, but they were also very foolish.
And there were quite a number of people with such foolish ideas, accounting for a third.
Looking at these officials, Ying Zheng's face remained expressionless, but his heart was boiling with murderous intent.
"Do all of you believe that General Lin deserves to die?"
This question was Ying Zheng's final opportunity for them.
Yet, these people did not perceive the danger within it.
"Your Majesty, the deaths of several Great Confucians have directly set back our Confucian culture by decades, and they were killed without cause. Lin Tian should give all Confucian disciples an explanation!!"
"Please order the execution of Lin Tian!!"
Someone took the lead, requesting the execution of Lin Tian.
This lead naturally caused many officials to follow suit.
"Please order the execution of Lin Tian!!"
"Please order the execution of Lin Tian!!"
"Please order the execution of Lin Tian!!"
Hearing these words, Ying Zheng took a deep breath.
"Good!!"
"Guards!!"
...